The prophet Haggai was a catalyst for God’s people to begin rebuilding the temple after returning to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. He rebuked the people for living in “paneled houses” while the house of God was still in ruins. The temple symbolized God’s presence among his people, thus they were ignoring God. Haggai explained that while continuing to ignore the temple, they were also missing God’s blessings in their lives. He reminded them that God would achieve His purposes for all nations, encouraging them to renew their covenant with the God of their fathers.